J Wicks on fri 14 sep 01
Hey all you lovely Clayart folks....
just thought I would remind you all of basic fire-safety precautions =
when lighting candles in memory of all those in the WTC and Pentagon =
attacks. No joke - two nights ago I almost burnt my house down because =
of a candle that I had lit in memory of those killed! It hadn't quite =
gotten extinguished when I blew all the candles out to go to bed, and =
cracked the glass container it was in, then lighting a stereo speaker, =
some percussion instruments and a wall on FIRE. All while we were =
asleep......The UPS man awoke us the next morning trying to make a =
delivery and the house was ABLAZE!!!! The bedroom was so filled with =
smoke....everywhere was....I can't believe we were sleeping thru it. =
The reason we didn't have a smoke detector was because the night before =
it had gone off for no apparent reason at 4 in the morning when =
*nothing* was wrong, and trying to avoid waking the neighbors up I had =
simply yanked out the battery and put it aside for the next =
morning....so the one time in my life I go to sleep with no smoke =
detector is exactly when I need it! Figures.....So we could have died =
if the fire had progressed for even a few minutes =
longer....asphyxiated...burned.... YIKES! We were able to extinguish =
the blaze with a household unit that my mother had given us just 2 weeks =
earlier. She is a genius!!! :) I was able to tell the UPS man that he =
had very likely saved our lives.....So, three days of cleanup later =
there is still ash absolutely everywhere.....believe me, I sympathize =
with those folks in NY cause its been bad enough having to clean up a =
simple housefire.....
I even MAKE candles and I will never look at them the same way....I love =
them but holy cow I am scared of them now!!!! So everyone be careful =
when lighting prayer/meditation/remembrance candles.....please! In a =
very indirect way I could have ended up a casualty of this tragedy as =
well. what a ripple effect!
on another note, this is my first post ever to the group. I've been =
here for a while but I am on so many lists that I rarely have time to =
write in unless I feel its very pressing. I have a bachelors in design =
from KU emphasis in ceramics. I am mainly a sculptor of clay, but I =
like to throw as well. I teach classes at our local nonprofit arts =
education center, which is great! I am also a seamstress by trade, as =
well as a candle maker and I am going to school to pick up chemistry, =
foreign language, and more art history so that I can apply to grad =
school for art conservation and restoration.....phew! So thats why I =
rarely post. Just wanted to share my harrowing tale of fire gone wild =
with you tho. Who knows a little extra caution could save someone elses =
life......
My thoughts and prayers are with all those of you affected by the =
tragedy ( which is almost everyone). My webmaster lives 20 minutes from =
NYC and he is literally scared to leave his house....how awful! =
Wishing you all strength and peace.......
*brightest blessings
julie
Dark Star Designs... http://www.shopdarkstar.com
***Extraordinary custom-made goods for everyone***
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